A Child’s Christmas in Wales - Original Commission - Lantern Theatre - 2013

History / Description

The Lantern Theatre Company and White Box Theatre collaborated to make an original adaption of Dylan Thomas’s well-loved poem A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Thomas’s playful smart language takes us through a Christmas day in Welsh seaside village through the eyes of a boy inviting us to join him as he relives his childhood: a larger-than-life world of imagination, myth, and wonder. United with Thomas’ comic prose Mundheim’s three-dimensional storybook (sculpture, puppetry and physical theatre) transports audiences of all ages, bringing this classic poem to life. Running time 60 minutes

Video

Performance Stills

"Words cannot express the euphoria … returning theatre to its roots in storytelling, imagination, and making tangible the impossible."

- Examiner

"The language is enchanting and the poetry shines with an unearthly radiance."

- The New York Times

" … captures all the warmth, nostalgia, and childlike wonder of the original, [poem] …”
“... enchanting theatrical vision."

- Phindle

"A Child's Christmas in Wales is a Christmas show for people… who love stage enchantment without cliché or trite sentimentality. Do yourself a favor and recapture some of the innocent magic of childhood as displayed by this wonderful piece of work."

- Broad Street Review

Collaborators

Adaptation Co-Created by CharlesMacMahon/Lantern Theater Company and Sebastienne Mundheim/White Box Theatre
World Premiere Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
Poem by Dylan Thomas
Directed by Sebastienne Mundheim
Assistant Director: Kate Coots
Sound Design: Rob Kaplowitz
Lighting Design: Shon Causer
Costume Design: Jillian Keys
Cast/Collaborators: Amy Smith, Genevieve Perrier, Charlie Delmarcelle, Doug Hara.
Studio Makers:  Watsuki Harrington, Anna DeCaria, Dot Vile, Claire Pitts.
Special Thanks:  Whit MacLaughlin, Hassen Saker, Ingrid Boucher, Sara Labov, Jamie Labov.

Photos by Mark Garvin, Sebastienne Mundheim, and Kathryn Raines